


Fantasy Benadryl

by coolant



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Gen, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 04:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13710291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolant/pseuds/coolant
Summary: Varric and Cassandra commiserate over a distaste for the Forbidden Oasis.





	Fantasy Benadryl

“Wow,” the Qunari Inquisitor looked curiously down at Varric. “I forgot how fragile you little races are.”

  
“It’s not cuz we’re not all big and horn-y!” Sera grumbled while punching lightly at Inquisitor Yassan’s arm. “It’s cuz you never take us anywhere that isn’t shite!”

  
“I don’t know, I kind of like it here.” The Inquisitor replied thoughtfully, turning her face towards the sky and closing her eyes like a sunbathing cat. “But fine. We can set up camp and rest.”

  
“I appreciate it.” Varric replied through gritted teeth. Currently, his chest, neck, and most of his face were practically on fire. He’d made the incredibly smart decision to wear his usual open-vested jacket and armor. He’d been in sunlight before- he’d lived on the surface all his life. But, apparently, even life in Kirkwall couldn’t prepare his poor Dwarven skin for the scorching sun of the Forbidden Oasis. He needed to… take a bath? Get in some shade? Goad one of their mage companions into blasting him with frost magic? Anything but continue to bake in the sun, basically.

  
Thankfully, the camp was rather close to the oasis itself. He walked stiffly from camp towards the water, passing a still bickering Inquisitor and Sera as well as a rather miserable looking Seeker. Cassandra seemed to have been in an even fouler mood than usual today and Varric figured it might have something to do with the quantity of sneezes he’d heard from her in the last few hours.

  
Once he reached the crystal-clear water, Varric made attempts to cool off his angry skin, pressing a cold cloth to his skin. _Andraste’s ass_ , he thought to himself, _I’m going to need more than water._ Disheartened, Varric tried his best to walk back to camp without moving his beet-red neck and shoulders.

  
He rustled through the camp’s supply of potions and almost cried when he found a little vile of a soothing salve. He set to work trying to cover every inch of burned skin. Until he came to a little triangle on his back that he just… couldn’t reach.

  
“Shit.” Varric grumbled, feeling defeated. He thought about leaving it, just letting that little patch on his back continue to burn. But the more he thought about it, the more maddening the idea became. He set to find someone to help him.

  
“Just my luck.” He laughed when he heard the Inquisitor and Sera in a tent, having switched from fighting to… not fighting. Similar noises, but definitely not fighting. So that left… _The Seeker. Shit._

  
Varric approached her tent very carefully and stood a safe distance away from the flap.

  
“Seeker? You in there?” No response. He tried again.

  
“Seeker?” Still nothing. One more try, then he’d just resign himself to suffering.

 

“Uh… Cassandra?” Maybe her name would work?

  
“What?” She barked, not even bothering to emerge from her tent. Varric flinched.

  
“I was wondering if you could help me with a… situation I’m having.” She peaked her head out of the tent, shooting him a skeptical look. Her eyes and nose were red.

  
“What are you talking about?” She grumbled. He pointed a thumb to his back.

  
“I was hoping you could help me. I can’t quite reach the rest of my sunburn.” She scrutinized him silently for a second, then waved him into her tent.

  
“Thanks.” Varric took an awkward seat near her bedroll where she’d apparently been languishing. Cassandra had removed most of her armor, clad in only an undershirt and her breeches. Varric noted he’d never seen her without her being attired in some sort of metal. “I wouldn’t have bothered you but-“

  
“The Inquisitor is otherwise occupied.” Cassandra snorted. She snatched the vial from him and began to examine the burns on his back. “Maker’s breath, Varric.”

  
“I know, I know.” He sighed. He would be feeling this burn for weeks. “I should have borrowed Cole’s hat.”

  
At this, Cassandra giggled. This little, girlish tittering that Varric almost couldn’t believe had come from the same Seeker he’d come to know. He half expected her to become embarrassed by the outburst. But she didn’t, perhaps too tired to care, and gently pressed two salve-covered fingers to his back. He hissed, then sighed as the soothing effects began to settle in.

  
“Looks as if you’ve missed a spot.” She murmured, touching a stretch of skin on his neck. Varric felt a ripple of goosebumps run up his arms. Then Cassandra jerked away and sneezed violently. A few times. He leaned back at her, craning his neck despite the ache.

  
“You alright, Seeker?” He normally might have laughed, but she looked so miserable that he didn’t have the heart. She made a disgusted noise, pressing her palm to her forehead.

 

“No, I am not alright.” She began rubbing her nose furiously. “I must be averse to something in the air here.”

  
“That certainly seems to be the case.” Varric smiled. “Anything I can do to help?” He figured he may try to return the favor- if they were both going to be miserable in the Forbidden Oasis, they may as well try to help one another, right?

  
She examined him for a moment, that same scrutinizing gaze, but a little gentler than before.

  
“No, I don’t believe so.” She sighed, crossing her legs and slumping her shoulders. “I suppose I am destined to be wretched and itching until we’re rid of this place.” Varric nodded solemnly in solidarity, but was then struck with an idea. The dwarf gestured- one second- and fumbled awkwardly out of the tent, returning a moment later with another little poultice.

  
“This stuff, it kind of helps relieve… that,” He motioned vaguely towards her red and leaky face. “It’ll knock you on your ass, though, so you’ll probably want to sleep.” Cassandra stared at the vial, then violently sneezed and came very close to spitting all over Varric. She snatched the vial and downed it before he could say another word.

  
“Better to be asleep than awake in this blighted place.” She grumbled. She looked at Varric for a moment, not smiling but also not scowling. “This better work. If this is a trick and I wake up with scales, I know where you sleep.” The Seeker then flopped back onto her bedroll, letting out a heavy sigh. Varric laughed.

  
“No tricks this time, Seeker.” He stopped short of encouraging her to get some rest, afraid of sounding too much like a nursemaid. As he slowly shuffled out of her tent, he heard her restless breathing start to calm.

  
Back outside, the sun was starting to lower in the sky, allowing for some glorious shade to settle over their camp. The golden light pouring over palm trees and into the shining pools of the oasis was actually quite beautiful. He absently thought that the Seeker might like to see the view, a nice bit of scenery to punctuate a fairly lousy day. But then he imagined her resting on her bedroll, already asleep, her angry itchy face finally calmed. Best to let sleeping dragons lie, as it were.

  
“What’re you doing, Varric?” Mumbled an almost buck naked Inquisitor lumbering out of her tent. She stared down at the dwarf, who’d ended up slumped outside Cassandras tent, relishing the cooling air and pleasant vista.

  
“Just enjoying the scenery.” He shrugged, too sore and tried to move. The Inquisitor shrugged back, making her way to the oasis pools. Sera plodded out of the tent behind her, her already messy hair now bedraggled.

  
“He was complaining about the sun here _all day_.” Yassan seemed confounded, wading into the water.

  
“Y’can feel two ways about one thing, Teetness.” Sera entered the pool with a splash, clapping water at her counterpart.

  
“I feel two ways about _you_ ,” Yassan growled playfully, clearly not understanding what Sera was trying to say but not minding, diving towards Sera who she screeched with glee.

  
_Feelings are weird like that._ Varric agreed to himself, chuckling softly. As he awkwardly got back on his feet to waddle back to his bed, he heard a muffled thank you come from Cassandra tent.

  
“Don’t mention it, Seeker.”


End file.
